Alongside gameplay mechanics and storyline, whether a character’s appearance is appealing plays a significant role in determining how often that character is used in League of Legends. It’s no coincidence that characters with attractive designs like Akali, Ezreal, Sylas, and Yasuo have extremely high pick rates. Meanwhile, a slew of less appealing characters such as Skarner, Ivern, and Singed tend to be overlooked by players.
In the case of Malphite, while not excessively ugly, his design feels outdated and leads to a lot of misunderstandings among players. Many players don’t even realize that the protrusion on Malphite’s body is actually his head. However, numerous players have reached out to Riot Games expressing the need for a Malphite upgrade as soon as possible.
In a recent discussion, League of Legends’ Champion Production Lead – Riot Reav3, finally confirmed Malphite’s future. Specifically, Riot Reav3 believes that Malphite’s skill set should remain simple and easy to understand, as this is essential for League of Legends. Regarding his appearance, Riot believes Malphite needs a visual upgrade to make him more appealing and appropriate.
One of the suggestions for Riot regarding Malphite’s redesign is to take inspiration from his mobile version. Essentially, when transitioning to Wild Rift, Malphite retains his rugged and tough appearance, but his head is designed to be much clearer.
Of course, aside from Malphite, Riot Games has many other champions that need updates in the near future, not just visually but also in gameplay. With the rapid pace of new champion releases, Riot is causing many older champions in League of Legends to be forgotten even though they are not weak. Perhaps they should slow down the rate of new champion releases and pay more attention to the older characters instead.